4 out of 5. Yôji Yamada's THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI
reminded me a lot UNFORGIVEN. The plot centers around a widowed samurai
who has lost any sense of self-worth. He's internalized a lot of the
pain and denies himself the opportunity
to move on. The acting is really good. The story feels like the last
samurai movie that will be made because of the introduction of guns and
the end of the Edo period. Slow, thoughtful and very good relationships
make it worth a look.
=s=
4 out 5. Rainer Werner Fassbinder's ALI: FEAR EATS THE SOUL is pretty damn cool. He boldly faces every convention
available to him and makes a palpable story with characters that get
under your skin. I had no idea what I'd
expect after watching Fox and His Friends but I'm amazed by this
director's ability at clear and creative storytelling. It's almost
stylized in many ways from the art direction and clothing choices,
there's some heavy symbolism throughout. If you like to keep chewing on a
film after your done watching it...check this one out.
=s=
